Apple has released a new, lighter, faster PowerBook G3, Menagerie of Macs is now online, and Future Power has created a terrible iMac rip-off.
PowerBook G3 Revised
The PowerBooks that we’ve been drooling over for the past year just got better. The drawbacks of the intensely powerful and versatile machines were it’s size and weight. The new PowerBooks have lost almost two pounds from 7.8 to 5.9 pounds. They are also 1/2-inch thinner.
There are also spec changes that make the new machines, shall we say, drool-worthy. They now come with two USB ports, a higher battery life, Mac OS 8.6, an ATI Rage LT Pro chip with 8 MB of memory, and higher clock speeds. All of these ‘books come with a 14.1-inch screen.
There are two standard configurations: 400 MHz with a 1 MB of level 2 cache, 64 MB of RAM, 6 GB hard drive, and a DVD-ROM drive goes for $3,499. The other is 333 MHz with 512 K of level 2 cache, 64 MB of RAM, a 4 GB disk, and a 24x CD-ROM for $2,499. Other options and configurations are available at the Apple Store.
Menagerie of Macs Is Online!
Yes! Finally I am sharing a web site. My pages are on the Low End Mac site. You can get to them at <http://lowendmac.com/menagerie/index.shtml>. I am no longer sending out back issues from my email address. You can pick those up from the web. I will however continue to send out the current issue to your email. Cruise by today! Oh yeah, support Low End Mac by clicking on a banner or two.
Copycat PC Announced at New York PC Expo
A company called Future Power was showing off a rather interesting computer at the PC Expo. The E-Power is an all-in-one PC that comes in five colours and looks exactly like an iMac. Instead of blueberry, strawberry, lime, orange and grape, the E-Power machines ship in amethyst, ruby, topaz, emerald and sapphire. It runs at 400 MHz with a 6.4 GB hard drive, 64 MB of RAM, a CD-ROM, a 56 K modem, and, get this, a floppy drive.
Needless to say, Apple didn’t take kindly to the new machine. They have filed a complaint in San Jose, California for illegal copying of the iMac’s design. With this complaint Apple is trying to prevent distribution of the E-Power. “There is a universe of original designs that Future Power and Daewoo could have created for their computers, but instead they chose to copy Apple’s designs,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s interim CEO. “We’ve invested a lot of money and effort to create and market our award-winning designs, and we intend to vigorously protect them under the law.”
